10m WSPR TX

Since just before breakfast, I have been on 10m WSPR TX (500mW) with my stand alone WSPR beacon. Just one spot all morning in the form of IU1DZZ (973km). There is still Es, but it is now less common.

In the last hour OY1OF (1164km) in the Faroe Is last been spotting me.

UPDATE 1640z: No spots received since 1228z. What Es there was seems short-lived? In the past I had a theory that later in the season more northerly stations become more commonplace by Es. Not sure if this is true.

UPDATE 1947z: Soon be time to go QRT. In all, 4 different stations spotted my 10m WSPR today.

Dahlias - NOT amateur radio

Every year they have a great show of dahlias at nearby Anglesey Abbey. This is just one of them this year.

Big VHF beams?

Well, I can just imagine the reaction of my neighbours if I erected this monster in my garden! Southgate News reports on a new dual band 10el beam for 50/70MHz. If towers and big beams are your "thing", then I guess you may be interested.

See http://southgatearc.org/news/2018/august/worlds-longest-50mhz-70mhz-dual-bander.htm#.W3U92fZFzIU

Of course, these monster stations are frequently at the far end of some QRP QSOs, so I have to watch what I say! All I can say is these are not of interest to me. Personally I prefer smaller antennas as do my neighbours.

My other websites - NOT amateur radio

On my main website are links to some of the other websites I maintain. One of these is the Cambridgeshire Choral Group in which my wife sings. They are always on the lookout for new singers, especially male. No auditions are needed and they sing in some great venues in the Cambridge, UK area with a professional orchestra and soloists.

See www.g3xbm.co.uk .

Sunspots - Thursday August 16th 2018

Solar flux is again 69 and the SSN 12. A=14 and K=4.

2m FT8 again

Yet again I am on 2m FT8. An earlier CQ call (2.5W) this morning was spotted by G7RAU (461km) in Cornwall. He seems to spot me every time!

Already this morning I have spotted a couple of stations in Brittany. Yesterday was typical with DX previously unheard of on my simple system within reach.

The map shows what I spotted in the last day on 2m FT8. Antenna is just the big-wheel omni.

UPDATE 1647z: A quieter day so far with 10 stations in 3 countries spotted here on 2m FT8 RX. Best DX is F6DBI (501km).

UPDATE 1956z: Yet again, 2m FT8 RX has surprised me today. Time now to go QRT. The map below shows the stations spotted here in the last day. Remember I just use a  big-wheel omni, no big beams!

Chaos - NOT amateur radio

Our son is a good cook, but he does leave a disaster area in his wake! The photo shows him in our kitchen last week. 15 minutes cooking and 30 minutes clearing up after him.

Hamsphere - float your boat?

Every once in a while I get Hamsphere newsletters.

Hamsphere is a "virtual" form of amateur radio. The ionosphere is simulated - it is not real. Some of these simulations are very good and they may be of interest to you. I have to admit that they do not "float my boat" much. Especially when HF is poor, I can understand the attraction, but to me this not real.

Network radios to me are a better alternative, as these allow contacts via distant repeaters that are real. Best of all is real amateur radio, actually advancing radio science by pushing the boundaries. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to do this.

See https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/virtual/hamsphere

New HF SSB/CW rig coming from QRP-labs?

There are rumours on the streets about a new, single band, SSB/CW QRP transceiver from Hans Summers. Time will tell.

See https://www.qrp-labs.com/

Late start on 10m WSPR TX (500mW)

At 1028z I started up my 10m WSPR TX beacon. This is much later than usual. Normally it takes about 15-20 minutes for the crystal to stabilise, assuming there are any Es spots. So, the earliest I can reasonably expect to get any spots is 1045z. Any spots before then (unlikely) are likely to show quite a bit of drift.

UPDATE 1625z: Plenty of Es this afternoon on 10m WSPR. 6 unique stations spotting me this afternoon, either in Italy or Germany.

UPDATE 1727z: 47 spots today on 10m WSPR. The latest Es spot was over an hour ago.